![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
You fear the world too much
Tonight is Christmas Eve and the first night of Hanukkah and once again it isn't snowing, though the front walk of my parents' house is slick black ice. From my perspective the season really slewed up out of nowhere this year; I don't know if it was the election or my health, but the latter part of fall just seems to have telescoped itself straight to the solstice. Yesterday ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
derspatchel and I saw the earliest possible matinée of Rogue One (2016) at the Capitol Theatre before heading out to Lexington to help my mother clean the house and decorate the tree; this afternoon everybody ran late, but we made it out in time to wrap the last relevant presents and run last-minute errands and open the door to sairaali, who joined us for dinner (bringing a delicious chicken bisteeya and two kinds of fruit strudel) and the combination holiday. We lit the candles and rolled fudge and put the last ornaments on the tree. I have now a copy of Esther Schor's Emma Lazarus (2006), which I am not burning my way through only because we are observing the family tradition of watching Brian Desmond Hurst's Scrooge (1951) with Alastair Sim, still my definitive version of the story. It's a strange year and I can't imagine what the next will look like. In such times you make an especial effort to hold on to the important things. And eat a stunning amount of chocolate, apparently.
Last night I dreamed of watching a black-and-white film from the 1930's or '40's, though it had a '70's-ish, Michael Caine feel to the memory when I woke up—a man who has taken the fall for his criminal associates swears revenge on them at his trial, gets out of jail and begins to track down their present-day whereabouts only to find that someone is getting to each of them first and killing them before he can get the chance, so he takes it on himself to solve the mystery if only so that he can murder at least one of these double-crossing no-goods himself. I remember winter scenes, studio snow and frozen black sky. He hunched his shoulders into his overcoat like Richard Barthelmess, preemptively defensive. Naturally I woke before I found out how it ended. If it were a Christmas film from the Code era, the protagonist would have a change of heart in the course of his investigations or at least get himself redemptively bumped off by the end; if it were a crime film of the '70's, his quest might still kill him but redemption hasn't got a chance. Rob thinks I should write it myself. I'll have to read even more hard-boiled fiction. Only please be sure always to call it research.
To a softer year, all the same.
derspatchel and I saw the earliest possible matinée of Rogue One (2016) at the Capitol Theatre before heading out to Lexington to help my mother clean the house and decorate the tree; this afternoon everybody ran late, but we made it out in time to wrap the last relevant presents and run last-minute errands and open the door to sairaali, who joined us for dinner (bringing a delicious chicken bisteeya and two kinds of fruit strudel) and the combination holiday. We lit the candles and rolled fudge and put the last ornaments on the tree. I have now a copy of Esther Schor's Emma Lazarus (2006), which I am not burning my way through only because we are observing the family tradition of watching Brian Desmond Hurst's Scrooge (1951) with Alastair Sim, still my definitive version of the story. It's a strange year and I can't imagine what the next will look like. In such times you make an especial effort to hold on to the important things. And eat a stunning amount of chocolate, apparently.Last night I dreamed of watching a black-and-white film from the 1930's or '40's, though it had a '70's-ish, Michael Caine feel to the memory when I woke up—a man who has taken the fall for his criminal associates swears revenge on them at his trial, gets out of jail and begins to track down their present-day whereabouts only to find that someone is getting to each of them first and killing them before he can get the chance, so he takes it on himself to solve the mystery if only so that he can murder at least one of these double-crossing no-goods himself. I remember winter scenes, studio snow and frozen black sky. He hunched his shoulders into his overcoat like Richard Barthelmess, preemptively defensive. Naturally I woke before I found out how it ended. If it were a Christmas film from the Code era, the protagonist would have a change of heart in the course of his investigations or at least get himself redemptively bumped off by the end; if it were a crime film of the '70's, his quest might still kill him but redemption hasn't got a chance. Rob thinks I should write it myself. I'll have to read even more hard-boiled fiction. Only please be sure always to call it research.
To a softer year, all the same.
no subject
Seems like a solid plan!
It sounds like a lovely combined holiday, all in all; I hope any further celebrating is good too. *hugs*
no subject
Very popular choice among my friend group, I'm discovering.
It sounds like a lovely combined holiday, all in all; I hope any further celebrating is good too.
Thank you! It has been so far!
no subject
Enjoy the company of people who get you.
no subject
I would like to write it! This year was terrible for fiction; I would like next year, whatever else it is, to be better on that front.
Enjoy the company of people who get you.
Thank you. I wish you the same!
no subject
And a glorious Hanukkah and Christmas to you! (it looks like you celebrate both?) With fudge, too! I made three batches, but have given it all away - a bad miscalculation! :D
no subject
I'll try! It might take a while to figure out. There are so many possibilities.
And a glorious Hanukkah and Christmas to you! (it looks like you celebrate both?)
Thank you! We celebrate Christmas in the cultural sense: tree, presents, homemade eggnog, flaming plum pudding. Nobody in my genetic rather than married-into family is Christian. We have been making and giving away fudge for the winter holidays as far back as I can remember, though.
(Yours sounded amazing. Dolphins.)
no subject
The holidays snuck up on me too. (I blame the election.) I have been eating a lot of champagne truffles.
Happy holidays!
no subject
I'll try to find out!
The holidays snuck up on me too. (I blame the election.) I have been eating a lot of champagne truffles.
That seems like a good practice to me.
Happy holidays!
Likewise!
no subject
I agree that the 1951 Christmas Carol is the best *film* adaptation. But when I think "definitive", I of course think of "A Kes-mas Carol", the abridgment of the text I made myself for purposes of reading aloud to
no subject
Thank you. I am not sure that I agree with you—I find historical fiction very difficult—but I appreciate the vote of confidence!
I agree that the 1951 Christmas Carol is the best *film* adaptation.
I also like Michael Caine and the Muppets, but I imprinted on Alastair Sim.
But when I think "definitive", I of course think of "A Kes-mas Carol", the abridgment of the text I made myself for purposes of reading aloud to kestrell every Christmas Eve. It removes a lot of the extremer moralizing, and entirely removes the Cratchits. Not necessarily the direction I would have gone unprompted, but it's what my sweetie wanted
Aww.
no subject
no subject
It was wonderful to have you!
no subject
To a better year.
Nine
no subject
I'll try! I'd like to. I'm not sure I wrote any fiction this year.
To a better year.
Amen.
no subject
no subject
It sounded incredible. I was not at all surprised to see it was directed by Tod Browning. I was extremely surprised the Hays Office didn't have a heart attack over it.
no subject
no subject
Thank you! I really would like to. I have not written the way I want this year.